Highly Concentrated Graphene Solutions via Polymer Enhanced Solvent Exfoliation and Iterative Solvent Exchange

Abstract

Efficient graphene exfoliation in a nontraditional solvent, ethanol, is achieved through the addition of a stabilizing polymer, ethyl cellulose. Iterative solvent exchange is further demonstrated as a rapid, room-temperature, ultracentrifugation-free approach to concentrate the graphene solution to a level exceeding 1 mg/mL. The outstanding processability and electrical properties of these graphene inks are verified through the realization of aligned graphene-polymer nanocomposites and transparent conductive graphene thin films.